The present invention relates to an apparatus for protecting a substrate.
Numerous articles and methods have been proposed in the prior art for protecting substrates from the environment, especially from moisture in the environment. Typical solutions are to provide a container which completely surrounds a substrate, with some solutions further utilizing a grease disposed within the containers for keeping contaminants such as water away from the substrate. A disadvantage of greases is that they tend to be messy, especially when exposed to elevated temperatures due to their viscous nature.
Methods have been proposed in the prior art for deforming three-dimensional gels around substrates to be protected, such gels having finite elongation properties, and also being relatively soft. However, apparatuses utilizing such gels are disadvantageous since a craftsman oftentimes cannot tell when a proper amount of compression force has been exerted onto the gel, and a further disadvantage is that sometimes the gel itself is not adequately protected from the environment which reduces its useful operative life.